Chapter 100: Admission and Honor

Elena Ward had just opened her eyes when the village loudspeaker blared with joyous announcements. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she glanced outside—the sunlight was warm and golden, filling her with a quiet contentment.

"They say the old woman's back from the hospital?" she muttered while getting dressed. The whole village had been buzzing last night—Agnes Ward was truly paralyzed now, barely able to speak.

Elena scoffed. She had been careful—there was no way the old woman should have ended up this bad. A few acupuncture sessions from a decent doctor would have fixed the facial paralysis. But she wasn’t about to tell The Wards that.

"Good riddance," she said coldly, combing her hair in the mirror. "At least she won’t be causing trouble anymore."

After tidying up, Elena started packing for her trip to her eldest sister’s place. The bundles piled up like she was moving back home. Just as she was busy folding clothes, deafening firecrackers exploded outside.

"Who’s celebrating?" She peeked out the window—only to see a procession of villagers marching toward her house, led by Mayor Martin Reed. Behind him trailed nearly the entire village, young and old.

"Elena! Elena!" The children bounced excitedly.

Before she could react, the gate swung open. Helen Reed rushed in first, throwing her arms around Elena. "My dear girl, you’ve made our village proud!"

Elena blinked in confusion. "Auntie, what—?"

"Your acceptance letter from the Northland Medical University arrived!" Mayor Reed beamed, holding up an envelope. "You’re the first university student from Pinehaven Village!"

Realization dawned. Her fingers trembled as she took the envelope. In her past life, she wouldn’t have dared dream of this.

"Let the kids share the luck!" someone shouted. A swarm of grubby children surged forward, tugging at her sleeves and clothes. By the time they scattered, her white blouse was smudged with dirt.

Emily Reed lingered at the back of the crowd, still pale but in good spirits. Shyly, she handed Elena a cloth-wrapped package. "Elena… I embroidered these pillowcases for you."

Elena’s chest tightened. In her past life, Emily had never treated her kindly.

Helen Reed squeezed her hand. "The village pooled together fifty dollars for your travel expenses," she whispered. "Don’t refuse—it’s from everyone’s hearts."

Elena’s eyes stung. Just as she was about to thank them, a car horn blared outside. A military-green jeep pulled up, and Adrian Stone stepped out in his crisp uniform.

"Perfect timing," he said, his gaze landing on the acceptance letter in her hands.

Instinctively, Elena hid the envelope behind her back. Why was he here again? Hadn’t they agreed to go their separate ways?

But Adrian was already saluting Mayor Reed. "On behalf of the military, I’m here to present Elena Ward with an award."

"What award?" The villagers erupted in chatter.

"For her outstanding service during the earthquake relief efforts," Adrian announced, pulling a gift envelope from his briefcase. "The military has granted her a five-hundred-dollar scholarship."

Elena’s eyes widened. She couldn’t accept this!

Before she could refuse, Adrian leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. "Don’t say no. This is an official commendation—rejecting it would embarrass the organization."

Her ears burned. This man—he was downright shameless!

"And this." He produced a small box like a magician. "From my mother."

Inside gleamed a silver university badge—a commemorative pin only given to alumni of the medical school.

"Your mother?" Her voice cracked.

Adrian smirked. "Yes. She said she’s waiting for her future daughter-in-law to serve her tea."

The crowd erupted. Elena’s vision darkened—now the whole village knew she was "spoken for."